Rainbow of my Heart
by Trance
Summary: Begins near the close of the war in Wutai. Sephiroth finally goes back to Midgar, but not alone. Can't say much more, cuz i'll give too much away. Please read and review. Ch. 2 and 3 now up.
1. Chapter 1

The sunset was much more beautiful in Wutai than in Midgar or Junon. He supposed in was because there were no machines to block the view, just mountains. The sun dipped below the horizon before he made his way back to his tent. Tomorrow was another day, and he needed to fine tune his plans for it.

He entered his tent, his black cloak sweeping behind him. Today had been long and brutal, but its reward sweet. The battle was theirs, there was no doubt, and they succeeded in pushing the Wutai army back farther. Having gained about ten more miles of land, they pushed their camp farther along. They were now only thirty miles to the capital city of Wutai, and to Emperor Godo Kisaragi. If they took down Kisaragi, the war would be over, there would be no more casualties. Already, thousands of soldiers had died on each side.

In the heat of battle, the ShinRa general was in his element, doing what he was created to do. At the age of seventeen, he had been made ShinRa's youngest and finest general. That had been at the beginning of the war. Now, nearly two years later, he had lead his troops from the bottom of the isle of Wutai to being so close to the capital. It was a great acheivment to say the least, but he would not boast about it, he was merely doing his job.

In the middle of his tent was a table on which lie a large map of Wutai. About a week ago, the army had gotten clear of the mountain range. There was a line drawn to where the border of their camp was and how much of Wutai was still in Wutain control. Having sent scouts ahead, the general knew where the Wutai camp was located and about how many men they had left. There wasn't many, and though that was a good thing for the ShinRa army, it was very bad for the Wutains. The next attack would be in a few days, allowing both sides to recooperate for now. Though some were against allowing the enemy to rest, they said nothing; too many were afraid of the general to voice their opinions.

Though it was illogical to allow the enemy to rest while his army could take them over, the general knew, he knew that it would be somewhat dishonerable to take such an advantage. The Wutain people held honor in the highest respect, and he understood that very well. He would allow them to rest and regain their strength, though he knew it would really do them no good in teh end, as they would still lose this war. He knew that even Emperor Kisaragi would understand this by now.

He set his long katana, the Masamune, to lean against the side of the table and sat down in a chair. His eyes were closed for not even three seconds when he heard yelling from outside. Someone was yelling for him. He stood and left the tent. He could see two men, scouts it looked like, running towards him. When they neared, they were gasping for air and trying to keep themselves from dropping to the ground in exhaustion. "Sir," one began to say through gasps, "we..we've spotted..a..a..small," he couldn't finish. The other took over, "Village, sev..seven miles..east..from...here." They both dropped to the ground, having given their message. The general spoke, his voice deep yet melodic for one so young, "Have them taken to the medic tent. Where's Buster?" This made his men chuckle, even though they knew that the general was only looking for Zack Buster, a first class SOLDIER. "Right here." Zack came to the front of the crowd that had surrounded the exhausted soldiers. His black hair was spiked, though surprisingly naturally.

"Gather ten men and some chocobos. We're going to this villiage." The general gave his orders then swept back into his tent. He gathered his sword then left through the back of the tent. He headed for the chocobo tent, where his gold chocobo waited. It warked happily when it saw the general. The general gave it a large green and petted its neck. "There you go, Leon." The chocobo warked softly again and nuzzled the side of it's head on the general's.

"I hate to interrupt," came a voice from the tent opening, "but I assumed you wanted to get moving as fast as possible." The general looked over at the first call SOLDIER, "You should never assume anything Zack." There were ten other men behind him, awaiting orders.

"You men, prepare chocobos. We're leaving in five minutes." The soldiers began to prepare the chocobos, saddling and bridling them. The general and Zack did the same. They were riding out of camp when Zack walked his chocobo up to the general's and asked, "So, Seph, what do you think we'll find?"

Sephiroth shrugged, "I'm not sure. The scouts never said who was there before they passed out."

* * *

Well, that's the first chapter, but I promise that the next one will be better. Sephiroth, Zack, and the soldiers will arrive in the villiage and find out who is there. I think that you'll all be surprised though. As always, please review and tell me what you think. Your opinions mean very much to me.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky was covered in stars, and there was no light coming from the west, by the time that the general and his group found the small village at the bottom of a hill. The only light that could be seen was coming from a fire in the center. He turned to his men and pointed to the villiage, then put one finger to his mouth, indicating that they would follow him silently. They nodded and Sephiroth slowly led Leon down the hill.

He kept his sight on the fire, the shapes of people sitting around it becoming more clear. They seemed far too small to be soldiers, but Sephiroth had learned that enemies come in all sizes. Though as he neared, he suspected these people were not soldiers. They entered the town quietly, not disturbing anyone around the fire. It seemed as though there was no one in the homes they passed, so Sephiroth suspected that all of the inhabitants were in the center of the town. In the windows were pictures that looked to be a child's work. The fire cast shadows of the people around it, and Sephiroth stopped his chocobo where the tops of the shadows were, his eyes wide with realization.

They were in a village of children.

They were seated around the fire, listening to an elderly man as he told a story. Children ranging from infants to young teenagers he was sure were no older than himself listened to the tale being told. One of the small children spotted him in the shadows and stood, pointing at him. It was a young boy of about six or seven. Others looked to where he was pointing. The ones closest saw and ran to the other side of the fire. The few adults that were in the crowd stood in front of the children, raising weapons in defense. There were five, and they were hardly warriors. Sephiroth surmised that they were in their fifties or beyond, and the storyteller in his late eighties, for even the elder had two daggers raised.

His men came up from behind and went to either side of the their general, still atop their yellow chocobos. Their weapons were not drawn, but their hands close to them just in case. Sephiroth looked at the crowd and estimated about one hundred children in all. His count of the adults came to six. Why anyone would leave such a place unguarded was beyond him, but he supposed that Godo needed as many of his soldiers as possible to fight in the war. Sephiroth guided his chocobo to towards the fire. As he approached, the adults took a fighting stance.

The children were frightened, that much was quite obvious. All except one. She was a small child and had black hair like all Wutains had, and wine colored eyes. Her hair was clipped short, which struck Sephiroth as a bit unusual, but he could still tell that she was female. She walked forward cautiously. One of the men tried to sop her, but she was out of his grasp. She approached the chocobo and reached up to touch it. From the corner of his eye, Sephiroth saw someone smiling on the front porch area of a house. Whoever it was must have known because they moved back into the shadows. He turned his attention back to the child, who had her hand raised to touch his chocobo, but she seemed too afraid to make contact.

Sephiroth had Leon lower his golden head and put his face close to the girl's. Though she was frightened, she did not back away. She instead reached up and rubbed the chocobo's neck. It warked happily. The child giggled as Leon nuzzled her head with his. "_I think he likes you,_" Sephiroth spoke softly in Wutain. The child looked startled and jumped back a foot. Sephiroth slid down from the gold bird and went to one knee. The girl did not run, but instead took a step closer. Sephiroth had practically no experience with children, so he decided to leave the next move to the girl. She stepped closer and reached out a hand to touch Sephiroth's silvery hair, which was tinted orange in the fire light. Taking a lock of it in her small hand, she twirled it around her finger. "_You have pretty hair. It's nice and soft._"

She released his hair and turned her attention back to the chocobo. Sephiroth stood again and handed Leon's reins to Zack. He walked up to the elser men and bowed his head respectfully. He raised his voice loud enogh so that they all could hear his words. "_I am with the ShinRa army. A few hours ago, I was informed that there was a small village around this area, and I came to see it. While it is not what I had expected, there is no reason to harm anyone._" The younger children seemed less frightened, though the elders did not seemed convinced. Seeing this, Sephiroth reached towards his back, where his Masamune was sheathed. Everyone became tense as the general took his long sword from its scabbard. He slowly brought it over his shoulder and placed it on the ground, then stepped back. The men finally loosened their grips on the weapons they held.

It was slow going, but it was progress.

* * *

An hour later, Sephiroth was sitting with the elders while the children were being brought to bed. His Masamune was back in it's sheath, which was on Leon's back. He'd sent three men back to the camp to tell the others that he would not be returning that night. The chocobos were tied to a few trees just outside the village, and his men where in the house that was next to them. The elders had been grateful that Sephiroth was not here to take their village and the children. They also apologized about the girl who'd been bold enough to touch him and his chocobo without permission. He'd learned that her name was Yuffie. By watching her the rest of the time she'd been out, he could already tell that she was spunky and energetic.

As he turned to go to the house where his men were, Sephiroth began to think of what to do now.

* * *

I know that it's been a while, but my normal case of writers block kicked in and it's been slow going. School has know officially started and I am so happy. And no, I'm not wierd. It's my last year, so I'm happy. I'm hopeing to have chapter three up by sometime tomorrow, and then things will get better in this. Promise. As always, reviews are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Neither Sephiroth nor his men had slept during the night. They lay on the small cots provided and stayed awake, just in case. After Sephiroth had sent back three men to tell the rest of the camp that he would not be back that evening, the elders offered them one of the vacant houses at the south end of the village. The general stayed awake, though his eyes were closed, and thought of what course of action to take. He'd already given his word that no harm would come to the village or its inhabitants, and he would not go back on it. He'd finally decided on leaving a small platoon of soldiers to say and help protect the children.

The sun was rising and his men began to rise. None had slept, but they hadn't moved in some hours either. They were stretching when a knock came from the outside wall of the house. Sephiroth had been leaning against a wall, eyes closed. He went over to the door and opened it. It was Yuffie and a young woman who stood behind her. She had straight ebony hair that would fall fallen to her lower back had it not been in a loose bun atop her head. She wore a simple white kimono with a jade green sash that tied in the back. Her eyes were nearly the same wine color of Yuffie's, but a slight shade lighter. She bowed her head in a sign of respect.

Yuffie was smiling. "_Good morning. Did you sleep well?_" she asked. Sephiroth nodded, though he had not slept at all. "_That's good. Are you hungry? 'Cause breakfast is gonna be served soon._" Sephiroth nodded. He looked at the young woman. She she did her best to hide it, Sephiroth was sure she seemed sad. "_Who is your friend, Yuffie?_" Yuffie turned to look at the young woman then back at Sephiroth. "_This is Takeshi. She takes care of me and some of the others._" Sephiroth had to admit that Takeshi was attractive. A bit on the skinny side, but still quite attractive. "_It is a pleasure meeting you Miss Takeshi._" Takeshi nodded, but she said nothing. Sephiroth turned his attention back to Yuffie. "_We will be happy to join you for breakfast._" He turned back to his men. Their blankets were already folded and their cots were exactly as they's found them the previous evening. They awaited their orders.

"We've been invited to partake in breakfast. Let's go." Sephiroth turned back to Yuffie as she and Takeshi led the way to the pace where meals were served. It was a house near the center of the village that had tables. Sephiroth and his men sat at a table, and a few children dared to sit there as well. Yuffie didn't seem frightened at all. She sat next to Sephiroth and ate her meal of porridge. Takeshi, Sephiroth noted, was sitting in a chair and feeding an infant. She looked up and caught his eyes with hers. Sephiroth saw the sadness in her eyes that he'd noticed before. Zack poked him and Sephiroth looked toward him. "What is it?" His voice held an edge to it; he'd been interrupted and wasn't happy. Zack could tell but didn't care, since it only furthered his suspicions. "I saw you looking at her. She's hot, don't you think?" Sephiroth's attention was back on Takeshi, and without thinking, he nodded.

It was nearly noon, and he needed to be back. He'd been gone for too long as it was. Once he was back at camp, then he would send men to keep watch on the village. He was about to mount his chocobo when Yuffie came running up to him. "_Wait!_" She was nearly out of breath, leaning against the tree that Leon was tied to. "_The elders. They want to see you before you go._" Sephiroth nodded and turned to Zack, "Wait here for me. I won't be gone for long." He turned and followed Yuffie through the village to a house next to the fire ring. Yuffie stayed outside and told him to go in. _Do you know what they want?"_ he asked her. "_No. But they said something about a gift._" Sephiroth wasn't sure what to expect. Attack could be an option, but he had a feeling that they knew they could never take him on. He also knew that they might have much to give, either.

He entered and found six men sitting on the floor, legs under them. Takeshi was on the right, in her white kimono, though he had no idea as to why she would be here at all. There was a pack behind her, and a sleeping roll attached to the top. Sephiroth bowed in respect and went to his knees when motioned to do so. The old story teller was in front of the others, and as soon as Sephiroth was on his knees, he began to talk. "_Forgive us for asking you to come on such short notice. We have been up for most of the morning, talking amongst ourselves. We are grateful to you for taking our village, and we would like to present you with a gift for your graciousness._" Sephiroth was a little confused, "_I thought that it was custom not to give gifts?_" The man nodded, "_Indeed, we do not give gifts. But you have given us a gift, by not taking this village and those within it. And in return, we give you one. You would honor us by accepting her._"

Sephiroth nearly choked. "_Her?_" He had a feeling he knew what was going on now, and why Takeshi was here. "_Yes general, her. We do not have much, but we have her. She has served us well, and now, if you will accept her, she will serve you well too._" Everyone was looking at him now. He didn't like being under such pressure, but he could handle it. As for accepting this _gift_, he couldn't just refuse. The others were starting to look nervous, even Takeshi. She was fingering the edge of her dress, though she was trying to hide it. Her breathing was uneven, though he doubted she knew that. His eyes were on her, and he looked as though he was appraising her. In his mind, though, he was thinking of why would they would just give her to him. She could be a spy, but it probaby wouldn't matter soon, as the war was nearly over. And what would he do with her after. He supposed that she could go back with him to Midgar.

"_Are you willing to do this?_" He asked her. He wanted to make sure that she wanted this, and she wasn't being made to do it. She nodded, and spoke for the first time, "_Yes. I was asked if I would, and I accepted._" Her voice was melodic, and Sephiroth was sure that she could be a singer if she so wanted. But her answer was more important than her voice at that moment. He nodded then faced the others. "_I am honored to accept her._" He swore later that they all let out sighs of relief, though Takeshi still held that sadness in her eyes.

He stood, "_Please forgive me, but I need to leave as soon as possible. I have been away for too long._" The men nodded and Takeshi stood as well, taking her bag and placing it on her back.

* * *

I know that I said that this chapter would be up tomorrow, but I finished it and wanted to put it up ASAP, just incase I forgot about it.

From what I understand, though I'm not sure, Takeshi is a male name. When I first saw the name, I liked it very much and I thought it sounded female. That name still gives me the impression of being female, so I used it here. Chapter four will hopefully be up soon.


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